Tuesday Musical Club presents Its 2018-2019 Artist Series of Concerts...

Just 65 years after the fall of the Alamo-when the population of San Antonio was just 53,000-the Tuesday Musical Club (TMC) was founded in 1901 in San Antonio by Anna Hertzberg, a graduate of the New York Conservatory of Music, when she found herself far from the cultured arts of New York City. She and five other women joined together for the purpose of performing and discussing classical music and founded the Tuesday Musical Club; it now holds the distinction of being the oldest music club for women in Texas.

Just two years later, the club's first Musical Teas occurred in 1923 and evolved-without interruption-into its Artist Series concerts featuring world-class artists. It is one of the oldest continuous musical series sponsored by women in the United States,

The 2018-2019 TMC Artist Series schedule is:

• Trio con Brio Copenhagen - Piano Trio - 2 p.m., October 9, 2018 - Sponsored by the Russell Hill Rogers Fund for the Arts An award-winning piano trio with Danish musician Jens Elvekjaer (piano) and Korean sisters Soo-Jin Hong (violin) and Soo-Kyung Hong (cello), a Trio con Brio Copenhagen concert was praised by American Record Guide writer as "one of the greatest performances of chamber music I've ever encountered." The trio has won most international competitions for piano trio, including the ARD (Munich); Vittorio Gui (Florence); Norway's Trondheim Competition; Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson International Trio Award (USA); and Germany's Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. UK's Classic FM chose their Mendelssohn album as the Best Chamber Music Disc of the year: "Every phrase soars and pulsates with the excitement of a fresh discovery…with skin-rippling sensitivity." In 2015, they were the first ensemble to receive Denmark's prestigious "P2 Artists Prize." Approaching its 20th anniversary in 2019, Trio con Brio Copenhagen is in great international demand, with an intensive worldwide touring schedule. Appearances include Washington DC, New York City, Los Angeles, Seoul, London, Berlin, Hamburg, Heidelberg, Paris, Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen. It has appeared in major concert halls such as Tivoli Concert Hall, Concertgebouw, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Wigmore Hall, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Konzerthaus Berlin, Louvre Paris, Théâtre de la Ville Paris, Seoul Arts Center, Bunka Kaikan Tokyo and Teatro Olimpico Vicenza. In 2018, Orchid Classics released the trio's multi-volume traversal of the complete Beethoven Piano Trios.
• Sung Chang - Piano - 2 p.m., November 27, 2018 - Sponsored by Mary Alice Bond

Sung Chang, born in Seoul, gave his debut concert at age five. "Sung Chang is a pianist of enormous and special gifts: his command of the instrument is exceptional, and his range of sound and stylistic flexibility are also highly unusual" (Jeffrey Kahane, former music director, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra). He has won ten prestigious international competitions including the 7th Bösendorfer USASU International Piano Competition; Korea International Music Foundation Competition in the U.S.; Valsesia Musica International Competition, International Piano Competition "Citta Di Caraglio" in Italy; Germany's International 13, Wettbewerb der Chopin-Gesellschaft Hannover e.V; and the International Schubert Competition for Piano Duo. Chang recently won the Silver Medal in the 27th New Orleans International Piano Competition; he also won Silver in the 12th San Antonio International Piano Competition, as well as "Best Performance of a Work by a Classical Composer" and "Best Performance of a Work by Spanish, Latin American or Impressionistic Composer." He is the youngest winner of the Nagoya International Piano Competition in Japan where he also received the Chamber Music and Japan Expo Special Prizes. Chang has performed in Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Japan, Taiwan, China, USA and Korea, including performances for the Isang Yun Memorial Concert, North Korea National Orchestra Interaction Concert, The Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert series, Kumho Rising Star Series Concert and Yamaha Rising Star Concert.

• Paul Huang, violinist and Helen Huang, piano - 2 p.m., February 26, 2019 - sponsored in part by the Mattie Jennie Trust

Recipient of the prestigious 2015 Avery Fisher Career Grant and the 2017 Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists, The New York Times says Paul Huang plays "with a coppery, wiry bite, and ample vinegar laced his honeyed tone. This gave his sound focus and cut away at the sentimentality, even in the most poignant lyrical passages" The Washington Post wrote of his Kennedy Center debut: "Taiwanese American violinist Paul Huang made an impressive debut, sailing through a substantial and varied program, and eliciting several standing ovations. Sparkling clean, airy tone, and pinpoint intonation, Huang is definitely an artist with the goods for a significant career." Winner of the 2011 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, other honors include First Prize at the 2009 International Violin Competition Sion-Valais (Tibor Varga) in Switzerland, the 2009 Chi-Mei Cultural Foundation Arts Award for Taiwan's Most Promising Young Artists, the 2013 Salon de Virtuosi Career Grant, and the 2014 Classical Recording Foundation Young Artist Award. His recent engagements include his recital debut at the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland; and solo appearances with the Mariinsky Orchestra; Berliner Symphoniker; Detroit Symphony; Houston Symphony; Orchestra of St. Luke's; Seoul Philharmonic; Taipei Symphony (both in Taipei and on a U.S. tour); and National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra. He will make his Chicago orchestral debut at the Grant Park Music Festival, as well as appearances with the Baltimore, Alabama, Pacific, Santa Barbara, Charlotte, and Taiwan National Symphony Orchestras. He also will debut at the Hong Kong Chamber Music Festival and Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and return to the Palm Beach Chamber Music Society. He recently debuted at Wigmore Hall, Seoul Arts Center, and the Louvre in Paris, with critically acclaimed recital debuts in New York and in Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center.

Taiwanese-American Helen Huang is a pianist known for immaculate technique and eloquent sensitivity throughout a multi-faceted career as a soloist and chamber musician. She was discovered by conductor Kurt Masur upon winning the Young People's Competition, which resulted in engagements with the New York Philharmonic and a recording contract with the TELDEC record label. She has played with orchestras including the Cleveland Orchestra, National Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Orchestre National de France, the London Philharmonic, and the Israel Philharmonic. An avid chamber musician, Huang has appeared at the Marlboro Music Festival, La Jolla SummerFest and Ravinia's Steans Institute For Young Artists.

• Troy Cook, baritone and Kristin Roach, piano - 2 p.m., March 26, 2019

American baritone Troy Cook recently performed his first Ford in Hamburgische Staatsoper's Falstaff, following his debut with the company as Marcello in La bohème, and debuted with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte. The New Criterion praises Cook's performance as Rodrigo in Don Carlo as: "One performance truly stands out…Troy Cook's noble portrayal of Rodrigo was a thrill to behold. He has a beautiful, robust, woolen baritone, the sort that flows effortlessly in its middle range, and gathers energy as it climbs higher, never showing the faintest hint of a blemish." He has performed in the 2017-2018 season in the role of John Cree in the world premiere of Elizabeth Cree with Opera Philadelphia; Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor with Florida Grand Opera; Rodrigo in Don Carlo with Washington National Opera, and Falke in Die Fledermaus with Utah Opera. He also appears in concert with the Charlotte Symphony and Memphis Symphony for Handel's Messiah. His 2017-2018 performances include Enrico in Lucia de Lammermoor and Marcello in La bohème with Opera Philadelphia, Father Palmer in Silent Night with Minnesota Opera and Austin Opera, and the Tucson Symphony for Handel's Messiah. About his return to Central City Opera as Gaylord Ravenal in Show Boat, The Daily Camera states: "Cook is a commanding presence as the flawed romantic lead, capable of switching quickly from high comedy to heartrending pathos and again to suave romance. Gorgeously presenting several signature songs, including 'Make Believe,' Cook is always the center when onstage."

Native San Antonian Kristin Roach is in demand as a conductor, pianist and organist. A resident of San Antonio, she performs throughout the U.S., Canada, Japan and the former Soviet Union-collaborating with many of the world's finest artists. Reviews of Kristin's piano performances include phrases like "revelatory" and "infectious high-spirits." She has appeared as soloist with the San Antonio Symphony, Mid-Texas Symphony, San Antonio Wind Symphony and Eastman Philharmonia, and as chamber musician with Camerata San Antonio, Chamber Music Amarillo, Olmos Ensemble, Musical Offerings and Cactus Pear Music Festival.

All Artist Series concerts last from 90 minutes to two hours, with a short intermission, and occur on Tuesdays at 2 p.m. in Laurel Heights United Methodist Church, 227 W. Woodlawn Avenue. Handicapped seating and no-charge parking are available. Seating is first come-first served. Students attend concerts at no charge, with proper ID.

Full season tickets (four tickets) can be purchased for $75. Tickets can be used at ANY concert, in ANY combination, for maximum flexibility and season enjoyment.

Single tickets for each performance are $25 each and can be purchased on the TMC website or at the door, approximately half an hour before each concert.

"For the Artist Series, all concerts and all meetings/performances by members are on Tuesdays, the weekday first chosen by the TMC founders. That's why we have chosen the slogan 'Music on Tuesdays' to distinguish the Artist Series," says Marguerite McCormick, Chair, 2018-2019 season of the Artist Series.

Tuesday Musical Club fosters the enjoyment of classical music to the youth of the San Antonio community through its Junior Tuesday Musical Club and Young Artists Competitions. "Performing and listening to live music enriches children's lives by leading them to discover a source of creativity and beauty within themselves," McCormick adds. "Our Junior Club and the Young Artists Competition are age-appropriate performance opportunities for young people through age 26. All students attend Artist Series concerts free of charge."

Each spring since 1956, the Tuesday Musical Club holds a Young Artists Competition for serious students of music, age 18-26, who reside or study in Texas. The competition is held for piano, voice and strings in rotating years. The Junior Tuesday Musical Club was established in 1924 to give young people in grades 1-12 an appreciation of the beauty of music. The club's monthly meetings encourage the performance of fine repertoire, excellence in musical performance and friendship among young musicians. The Junior TMC Competition, held on the last Saturday in February at the TMC Clubhouse, is open to the public.

TMC's exclusively female membership includes some of San Antonio's best musicians, teachers and classical aficionados, who all keep up with the international music scene. "The Tuesday Musical Club is one of the fine institutions-created by and for ladies-that survived the suffrage movement, two World Wars, the tumult of the late 20th century and the vicissitudes of the early 21st to maintain its position as one of the city's foremost presenters of classical music." (San Antonio Current)

For more information about or to purchase tickets for the Artist Series, visit http://www.satmc.org or call 210-279-1118.

NOTE: Advance interviews, CDs, video and photos of artists are available by contacting Jeanne Albrecht at 210-392-9047 or jca@jeannebiz.com.

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